Oven-Roasted Cauliflower Rice

With a little one keeping me busy I need to keep things as simple as possible. There are so many recipes out there for cauliflower rice! I find this one quick and tasty, it could be used as a good base for other flavours; but just on it's own it is the perfect substitute for rice.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 2

• Olive oil spray (or you can use Coconut Oil spray - found it today, makes it so much easier!)
• 1 x head of caulifower
• Salt
  
  

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius
2. Line a baking tray with foil. Spray a thin layer of olive oil on the foiled surface.
3. Whizz handfuls of cauliflower in a food processor (I only have a small one but do it in a few gos, it's no problem)
4. Spread cauliflower on tray, sprinkle with salt and spray with more olive oil
5. Bake for 10min, then stir and rearrange on tray. Bake for another 10 minutes,or until mix is slightly 'toasted.')
6. Serve as a side with curry or similar.

TIPS
- The cauliflower mix shrinks alot when baked. It may seem like a lot of mix when you are whizzing it in the food processor, but the mix will easily shrink to a third of its size once roasted.
- Watch you don't burn it too much, I baked my first lot for 30min and even though it looked lovely on the tray by the time I mixed it up it was probably a little too toasty.

Adapted from: http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2014/03/25/roasted-cauliflower-rice/

Slendier Fried Rice

I've been cooking with Slendier Rice for a while now, and this stuff is incredible. My trainer (also a nutritionist) checked out the macros for me and confirmed that konjac rice is close to a  miracle, particularly if you enjoy eating mains dishes with rice or pasta!
Low in carbs, high in fibre, natural, it's fantastic. This is my favourite recipe (a variation of what is on the back of the packet), but you can throw in any vegetables you have on hand to make it truly delicious!

 INGREDIENTS

1 x packet of Slendier Rice 
1 tblsp oil of your choice (I use coconut oil or light olive oil)
2 x eggs, beaten and fried as an omelet, sliced
2 x tsp of minced ginger
4 x shallots, white parts only, sliced
Handful of leg ham, sliced (you can also pre-fry/ grill this as you like)
Handful of frozen peas, thawed
1 tblsp soy sauce 


METHOD

• Heat oil in saucepan, add ginger, stir for 30sec-1min
• Stirfry Slendier rice for 5min in oil and ginger mixture
• Throw in all vegetables / meat / egg, stir until heated through
• Stir through soy sauce, serve immediately.

Lime Pickle Yoghurt

Last night I fell across a taste sensation! I originally made this recipe as a salad dressing because I had been craving the sour lime pickle served in Indian restaurants.
Upon tasting the mix I realised it would make the perfect savory afternoon snack, it would act as versatile base for so many different options.
It sort of reminds me of eating the beautiful Indian dish called 'chaat', you would need to look it up to fully understand, but most definitely tasty and moreish.

The slight sweetness of the yoghurt balances the lime pickle beautifully, and I would possibly add roasted cashew nuts or almonds, maybe even a little bit of grilled chicken. I have to admit though, this mix works beautifully on its own!

INGREDIENTS
Qty of Barambah Bush Honey Yoghurt
Dessert Spoon of Sour Lime Pickle - I use this supermarket brand
- You need to test it to taste, it depends very much on how sour you would like the dish to be

METHOD
Combine and serve, that simple!

Next: I've begun looking at low oil lime pickle, I'll try my best to keep you updated!

Bill's Avocado Salsa

I'm blessed living in the vicinity of three of Bill Granger's restaurants. Last weekend I made some of his famous avocado salsa, it was a revelation! Fantastic with grilled meats, as a dip, or sprinkle over lettuce leaves for a quick salad. Ever so versatile!

INGREDIENTS
2 ripe Avocados, stones removed and diced
15 g coriander leaves
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice or Lime juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions 
1 Tomato quartered, seeded and finely sliced
1 dash Tabasco sauce
sea salt
freshly ground Black pepper  

METHOD
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir very gently to combine.

- And here? The best salsa you will ever have (just three ingredients!)

Adapted from: http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/149/sweetcorn-fritters-with-avocado-salsa

Braised broadbeans, peas and leeks

This is a recipe I made last year and it raised many eyebrows at my work lunch table - Australians sort of forget broadbeans exist but think they are a wonderful idea. The photo below is from taste.com.au; as shown in the picture I normally serve this dish with grilled lamb.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 leeks, trimmed and sliced
2 cups shelled broadbeans (I use frozen)
1 cup peas
1 tsp marjoram leaves, chopped
1 tsp oregano leaves, chopped
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chicken or vegie stock
salt and pepper
4 tbsp parsley, chopped

METHOD
1. Heat olive oil in saucepan, gently fry onion and garlic for 30 seconds.
2. Add leeks, stir fry for 2 minutes.
3. Add broadbeans, peas, marjoram, oregano and tomatoes, stir for 1 minute until some liquid comes out of the tomatoes.
4. Add stock and a good few pinches of salt, simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add chopped parsley and finish seasoning to taste, remove from heat and let it come to room temperature before serving.

From: The Sydney Morning Herald, Spectrum section, November 6-7 2010.

Green Ratatouille

Hello Spring! I'll be glad to be moving away from soups and casseroles and back towards grilled meats and sides... here is an old favourite I like to fall back on when I'm feeling a bit jaded, after all the slicing and dicing this is very quick cooking, a Bill Granger recipe, thanks Bill!


INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 large zucchini, diced
1 white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
4 celery stalks, diced
2 green capsicums (peppers), seeded, diced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5—6 minutes or until light golden. Remove from the heat and tip into a large ovenproof dish.

Return the pan to medium heat and add the remaining oil. Add the onion, garlic, celery and capsicum and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6—7 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. Add to the ovenproof dish and sprinkle with thyme leaves and salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 25—30 minutes.

from: http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/food/freshtv/790283/green-ratatouille

Quinoa

When I first looked at my eating I knew I had to reconsider my carbohydrate intake. My heart sort of sunk, I absolutely love eating rice and pasta! Then I found Quinoa - it has double to protein of rice, is Low-GI and gluten free. Sure, it is not that low in carbs, but it certainly beats eating a similar amount of cooked white rice.

Quinoa is a seed, but you cook it like a grain and use it in the same way you would rice or cous cous. It produces delicious results without having to try very hard!

Quinoa is available at health food stores and is quite expensive - don't let that put you off as it doubles in size when cooked. I have also seen it creeping into supermarkets recently so this will mean prices will fall as volumes increase.

Here is a simple side dish I cook often to accompany meat (particularly bbq chicken, although tonight I am eating it alongside some grilled salmon).

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup organic quinoa
1 cup of water
1 dessert spoon olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 small fennel bulb, sliced
Juice of half a lemon
Rind of half a lemon, finely grated
Handful of parsley
Salt & pepper
Serves 2

METHOD
1. Cook quinoa in a large pan of boiling water for 12 minutes or until tender.

2. Toss quinoa with olive oil, garlic, fennel, parsley, lemon juice and rind. Season.

NUMBERS (Serving Size, 50g - when cooked, this will serve 2 people as a side)
Protein: 5.95g
Fat: 2.4g
Carbohydrate: 34g

Stewed apple

It's that time of year, well for me anyway, where I feel all my food should be warm. So the cereal has taken a back seat for now, and I am enjoying weight watchers porridge some mornings.

The perfect accompaniment to this is some stewed fruit, which I really enjoy making weekly and keeping in the fridge - it's there to dive into at any time.

There are lots of unhealthy recipes out there for stewing apples (lots of sugar!), but I think I have found a good one:

INGREDIENTS
4 large apples, peeled, cored, chopped
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger (or minced ginger if you have it)
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp good vanilla extract or seeds from 1/2 a vanilla pod

METHOD
Place all of the ingredients in a medium sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to combine, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or till apples are as soft as you like them.

I really like these serving ideas I found at a website called 'Venus Envy Training' as well:

- sprinkle 2 tbsp low fat granola on top
- drizzle 1/2 container low fat, fruit-juice sweetened vanilla yogurt over top
- serve warm on top of low fat vanilla frozen yogurt or soy ice cream
- add some chopped onion and curry powder and nix the honey for a delicious chutney-like chicken topping

I'll be making this recipe with variations weekly, this recipe really is so easy, it's something you can adapt to your own taste and ingredients. Enjoy!

Roasted Sage and Bacon Mushrooms

Since changing my eating I don't tend to crave a certain dish as such, rather I crave flavours. This side dish is a nice meaty, smoky, substantial tasting recipe which is very satisfying in the cooler weather. Serve with grilled meat and steamed green peas.


INGREDIENTS
4 large field mushrooms
4 tsp minced garlic
Olive oil spray
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
200g low fat ricotta
2 rashers of bacon, rind removed, chopped
1/2 bunch sage, leaves torn

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 220c.
2. Place mushrooms on a baking tray, spread 1 tsp of garlic on each mushroom cap.
3. Spray with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Roast for 10 minutes, top with ricotta, bacon and sage and roast for another 15min or until ricotta and bacon are golden.

NUMBERS (Approx, per mushroom)
Carbs: 1.7g
Protein: 10.9g
Fat: 10.3g
Fibre: 0.8g

Adapted from: Donna Hay Magazine, Issue 44, April/May 2009

Asparagus and Haloumi Salad

This is a terrific recipe with grilled meat. If I am in a rush I eat with BBQ chicken (skinned of course)!


INGREDIENTS(serves 4)
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
2 bunches asparagus, woody ends trimmed
1 x 250g pkt haloumi cheese, drained, cut into 4 lengthways
60g rocket (or green salad leaves)
Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
Heat 2 tsp of the oil (I normally just spray a pan lightly with olive oil spray) in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes or until bright green and tender crisp. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Reheat pan over high heat. Cook the haloumi for 1 minute each side or until golden.
Divide rocket and asparagus among serving plates.

Top with a slice of haloumi. Drizzle with the remaining oil (I usually leave this out and squeeze with a bit of lemon instead) and season with pepper.

Adapted from: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/9828/asparagus+haloumi+salad